It was a cold day in the winter of 2022, and Tenafly’s basketball season was in full swing. While the weather outside was bitter, the interior of the high school gym was swelling with the heat of a fully packed crowd. Students dressed in white lined all four walls of the gym, with the four grades coming together as one to support their classmates in their quest for bringing an elusive championship trophy back home. The game was against West Essex, a quarter-final game that the Tigers would later win to send them to their first semi-final appearance in decades. While most of the credit goes to the players, who spent countless hours in practice and hustled as hard as they could to represent their town, there was an undeniable contribution from the legion of student fans who showed up with an energizing spirit.
The cheers when a Tiger would sink a three-pointer, the jeers at the opposing team, and of course, the flooding of the court after victory—all played a role in helping the players feel supported. I distinctly remember a few of Tenafly’s signature taunting lines: chanting ”you can’t do that” when the opposing team committed a foul, “start the buses” when the opponents were about to lose and have to take a quiet bus ride back, and even counting down the shot clock numbers wrong so the opponents would get flustered and shoot too soon. Not only did this make for an entertaining atmosphere, but it worked. Players became really frustrated and distracted, which in some situations made the difference between a win and a loss. However, with time, the spirit that once accompanied students to Tenafly games has been withering away. Will the student section ever be revived? Or will it continue on its path to total nonexistence?
The “home-field advantage” is a commonly known sports phenomenon, and its effects on a team’s performance are undeniable. The English football club Liverpool FC won 68 straight Premier League home games in a row, a streak lasting from April 2017 to January 2021. Scuderia Ferrari, an Italian F1 Constructor, has won 20 out of 93 Italian Grand Prixs, their home race. While I’m not expecting Geissinger field to have the same atmosphere as the legendary 50,000 seat Anfield Stadium or Tenafly students to match the intensity of the renowned Tifosi, I believe that recent trends in student support at games have lost Tenafly almost all of its home-field advantage opportunities.
The leading cause for this is most likely the drop in attendance rates at games. Every time I have gone to a game this year, regardless of which sport it was, I have noticed fewer students attending from all four grades. The seniors not showing up is a major issue, as historically they were in charge of starting chants and rallying up the rest of the student body. The tradition and power of the jeers lies with the seniors, and the volume levels at games have suffered because of their absences. On the other end of the age spectrum, there are not many underclassmen showing up to the games, which is equally problematic as they typically help out with volume, numbers, and of course, carrying the torch when the upperclassmen graduate. It’s possible that the underclassmen have attended a game and not been motivated to return after seeing the current status of the student section that used to make Tenafly sports games exciting.
Another reason for the downturn lies within the administration of Tenafly, especially those in charge of athletics. In many ways, it feels like they are corporatizing the sports games, lining up teachers along the fences or bleachers to shut down any glimmer of student spirit. Any shouting towards the field is immediately quieted, even if it is a voice of approval for our own team. Storming the field, a tradition used by high schools (including Tenafly until recently), colleges, and professional teams around the world, is strictly forbidden. While I understand there might be concerns for safety or bullying, I also do believe that the taunting component is part of the magic of sports.
As my senior year approaches at an incomprehensible speed, I start to wonder if I will get to experience the same traditions that other grades have, and also preserve them for the younger years. When I will play in a sports game, or when I go to watch and support my friends, will there be a crowd to support us? Will the student section be revived? Or will it continue to falter, becoming yet another domino of Tenafly High traditions that falls.
